Wake Me Up When September Ends
by Midnight Parallax
Summary: The sequel to 'Just Another 48 Hours.' Stuck in Terminal City with the government and Familiars watching their every move, Max's leadership and loyalties are put to the test. But what happens when the past catches up with her?
1. Chapter 1: Hit the Ground Running

**Wake Me Up When September Ends**

**Summary:** The sequel to _**Just Another 48 Hours**_. Things in Terminal City come to a boiling point when old secrets are revealed and new threats emerge, causing Max to examine her relationships with everyone she holds dear.

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Chapter 1: **_**Hit the Ground Running**_

_May 2021_

The only thing Max could hear was the sound of her heart pounding against her ears. All she could feel was the ground against her feet as she ran through the empty, dimly-lit streets of Terminal City. Most of the buildings were gutted and lifeless, acting as a shield against the outside world. The streetlights still worked in some parts, not allowing the darkness to completely consume the abandoned sector.

She knew he was gaining on her and she had no intention of letting him catch up. And if he did? Well, it wasn't like she didn't enjoy kicking his ass.

Too bad he didn't care. The adrenaline was rushing through him as he made that final stride to break the distance between them. He needed to stop her somehow. He pushed in her direction, hoping to find a way to overtake her. Their legs entwined together and both tumbled onto the concrete sidewalk. Who landed on top and who was on the bottom was unclear as they both struggled against one another, he was holding on and she was pulling away.

He knew he was going to stay in control of this situation. She wasn't going to get the best of him this time. As they rolled on the ground, each wrestling to win the battle, he remembered his former training and for the first time in a long time decided to utilize it. He flipped them both over and managed to trap her beneath him. His legs held hers in place against the pavement, while his arms secured her hands above her head.

"Get off me!"

Her voice was half-strangled, half-ferocious as she tried to break from his grasp. He was lying on top of her, pressing her into the hard and haggard concrete floor. _This isn't happening_, she thought as she bit down in frustration. She had beaten him how many times before?

He wasn't going to give her an easy time about it. Not like all those other times when he had underestimated her. This time the stakes were too high.

"Uh uh uh," Alec said with a wry grin plastered across his face. "You said not to go easy on you. And this is hardly my roughest."

This was not what Max had in mind when she asked Alec to help her train to fight with the Familiars. She didn't really want to train, she just wanted to have an excuse to kick someone's ass for yet another failed attempt at negotiating with the mayor that they were not a threat and only wanted their rights as citizens. The mayor had always been a tool. Senator McKinley's tool, as Max had come to learn when he refused to bargain with "freaks." City Council had taken a different route when they realized that they were diverting limited resources into the transgenic stand-off. They overruled Mayor Brooks and made a poor peace offering of listening to the transgenics' demands without actually doing anything about them.

It had been a difficult two weeks since Logan, Original Cindy, and Sketchy had left Terminal City. They had used an old closed off sewer junction to slip through. When they ran into sector police patrolling the area, Logan's excuse was that they were journalists looking for the latest scoop on the transgenic situation. It had gotten all three of them a night in jail for trespassing, but there were worse things in the world.

Being trapped underneath Alec was on that list. The problem wasn't that he had beaten her, she could make up for that easily when it was all over by smacking him around. No, the real problem was the compromising physical entanglement they found themselves in. He was on top of her, straddling her, and their faces weren't inches but centimeters away from each other. Her eyes immediately drifted to his full lips. She could almost taste his breath that was noxious mix of scotch and pork rinds. She could also feel the rise and fall of his chest against her. Alec's eyes were still unreadable except for the determination in his stare. Though his body was extremely tense in its efforts to hold her down, she could tell from the ease of his heartbeat that it was a game to him.

When was the last time she had gotten up close and personal with another man? Played and flirted and had fun? She didn't even want to think about the last time she'd seen any action, which was the intense, heat-induced evening with Rafer when she really thought about it. Had it been that long? No wonder being under Alec was making her skin crawl and burn with shame.

_Great, add extreme sexual frustration to my list of problems_, Max thought. No, she could not have those kinds of thoughts with Alec on top of her. She needed him off. Now. This was not going the way she planned at all. Well, if nothing else, she had managed to momentarily forget that they were stuck in the middle of Terminal City with a police barricade and an uncooperative government waiting to herd them back to Manticore v2.0.

"Off. This isn't sparring. I'm going to kick your ass!" Max gritted out as she struggled under his weight. Her angry glare was unwavering.

"Say the magic words," Alec replied sweetly.

The stupid cocky grin on his face only made her want to smash it in more. He was enjoying this.

"Bite me!"

"Kinky," Alec said, and then he was distracted with the thought. His grip loosened a little bit.

Max should have known. It gave her just enough leverage to push her head much closer to his. He'd let his guard down. They both realized what was going on at the same moment. This was only going to go one of two ways. She slammed her head against his, causing him to break his hold over her. While he was still reeling from the attack, she rolled him off of her.

In a split second she was back on her feet, and a swift kick to the chest let Alec know it.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, clutching his ribs as he sat up.

"Fighting dirty," she replied smugly.

"Nice to see you putting that hard head of yours to good use. White doesn't stand a chance."

An evil grin spread across his face as he dodged the angry foot coming his way. Rolling further away from her, he finally got the chance to stand up.

"We're done for the night," Max said. "You're going to show me that move again later."

"Clothes on or off?" asked Alec, prepared to take another hit. He received two – one smack upside the head and a punch in the stomach.

Max just rolled her eyes as she walked back to the apartment she shared with Alec and Joshua to change her clothes. His scent was all over her. The last thing she needed was to walk around Terminal City smelling like she had been rolling around with him.

Her shift at Command was about to begin for the evening, and the last thing she wanted was to hear Mole bellyache about the transhumans doing all of the work in Terminal City. She had been hoping to blow off some steam before the next talk with Mayor Brooks, instead she was now more riled up than before.

Stupid Alec. With his nice body and nice lips and complete lack of good moral fiber, he made her remember that she still had those kinds of needs. No matter what she told herself about being a better person, she was still human with a little bit of cat thrown in for good measure. The human in her wanted to rip the clothes off the next available male X5, while the cat wanted to scratch Alec's eyes out for making her so damn edgy before she had to start the night shift.

He watched her walking away, her hips swayed in frustration. She was sexy as hell when she did that. He would have seriously pitched the 'friends with benefits' idea to her ages ago if he didn't think she'd kill him. But at the rate things were going with City Council, he was starting to reconsider it.

Alec decided to go to the abandoned gym on Kite Street before starting on his nightly activities, which wouldn't be including much sleep. The gym was the only place to get a decent shower, or running water in general. They didn't have much working by way of utilities in most of the buildings, and they had to conserve water in case the city did decide to cut them off. Alec was sure that he had taken cleaner showers in third world countries than in the gym. It was probably a hazmat team's worst nightmare, between the unmoving grime and mutated bio-warfare agents. Still, he just needed to get the bittersweet scent of Max off his skin before it sunk in. Damn his enhanced senses.

As he made his way over to Kite Street, he couldn't believe that he let his imagination distract him again. Being out in the real world was screwing with his concentration. And being around Max was screwing with the rest of him. Wrong choice of words. His mind instantly proliferated several different ways having Max underneath him could have gone. Her slender, lithe body had been writhing beneath his and he had done nothing with it? Of course he hadn't. She was someone else's girl, and even he drew the line somewhere.

A nice cold shower would fix him right up. Stupid Max. Alec should have just said no. No training, no chasing, no wrapping his legs around hers and… He pushed away the memories of how he got that hot and sweaty and breathless, because if he thought about it anymore not even the northern end of the Pacific Ocean would be able to cool his nerves.

Two weeks.

It had only been two weeks since they were held up in Terminal City and it was already taking its toll on him.

The cold spray of the gym shower wasn't enough to wash away all of the pent up frustration and anxiety that had taken refuge inside of him. The pelting water was enough to quell the sexual frustration though. For the moment at least. He would probably wake up in the middle of the night wanting to rip the sheets apart with his skin blazing with desire. But he would end up sitting next to Max in Command, channel-surfing on one of the TVs in the corner.

Things had calmed down for the night shift once the flag had been raised, but he was sure that would change when they got the supply runs started. Negotiations with the government were in a deadlock. A series of back and forth's had resulted in them ending up right back where they started. No one tried storming the gates, knowing fully well that the casualty rate would be high and it wouldn't be worth the drop in public approval ratings that still held some sway over elections. In the meantime, Renfro's little breeding program was coming into fruition, meaning there were more mouths to feed with less of pretty much everything needed to survive.

Detective Sung had hopped on the transgenic bandwagon when Logan explained the situation, which seemed to be enough to convince Clemente to play a blind eye to the escapes of several transgenics and the lack of recent arrests. Of course, neither of the officers knew about the S1W playing courier service for the transgenics or that they had become involved in the cause. The less their supporters knew about each other, the better chances were of things going off without a hitch. It was easy to get caught up in personal agendas and forget that the transgenics needed help.

Arrangements for the supply runs were primarily handled by Logan at this point. He had found an old unfinished train tunnel leftover from long before the Pulse that the military had overlooked. The problem however was that though one end was open in Terminal City, it didn't have any exits until past city limits. That was why Alec would be spending this evening leading a scouting party out to secure the area for activity. He knew Max was counting on him, along with the rest of Terminal City, not to screw this up.

"Hey Alec!" a teenaged voice called after him when he walked out of the gym.

He didn't need to turn around to know that it was Dalton. Looking at his watch, he realized that it had been twelve hours since he last saw the kid. Well, this had to be a new record. His handlers at Manticore had given him more breathing room than Dalton did. Alec would have told him to hit the bricks long ago, but he came in handy every so often.

"Kid, shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

"What are you, my handler?" Dalton asked in an annoyed tone. He tried to appear less tense, and said, "Anyway, I was going to lift some weights while no one was around to bug me."

"She's not here," Alec informed him, impatiently glancing at his watch again.

"What are you talking about?" Dalton was pretending that he wasn't following Max around like a lovesick puppy, but the disappointed pout on his face told a different story.

"Oh, I don't know. A sexy brunette about yay tall," Alec said, making a hand gesture just above Dalton's head. "Attitude to spare an entire girl hip-hop group."

"You just described a third of the females on Oak Street," Dalton pointed out smugly.

Alec decided not to elaborate on the fact that he had been sparring with her to put the boy in his place. Or that Logan was probably the only man she would have eyes for. Usually Alec was all for telling it like it was, but sometimes people needed a little false hope to get them through the day. Dalton would probably catch on soon enough, no need to be the bearer of bad news. He hated bad news, let alone having to be the one to dish it out.

"Whatever. I'd love to stick around and chat, but I've got to scout the new tunnel," Alec said. The only highlight of this endeavor was that it wasn't a sewer. But instead of a light at the end of the tunnel, there would be Logan and a box of medical supplies courtesy of Rafer, some EMT friend of Max's.

"Can I go with you?" Dalton asked, stiffening himself a little in preparation for hard work.

"Sorry buddy, but the team is already assembled. We don't want too many people out there before we can assess the stability of the tunnel and secure the exit," Alec said. Luke and Nico, another X5, were enough trouble as it was. He gave the boy a reassuring pat on the back. "Next time?"

Dalton's disappointed pout mad a return. He let out a sigh. "Yeah, sure."

"Don't look at me like that. The whole wounded puppy look is only for the ordinaries and ladies. You need to man up," Alec told him. Then he sighed. "We'll work on it when I get back."

The younger boy nodded vigorously.

_Oh what fun that's going to be_, Alec thought to himself. As he walked by the younger boy, he tousled his hair.

What a way to start a night. First, he was tangled up with Max and reminded that he hadn't had sex in two months. Then he made some obscure promise to Dalton to teach him how to be a man. And something told him that Logan was not going greet him with a smile and a bottle of scotch.

After walking down a block and a half, then making a sharp left, Alec found himself at the old subway terminal entrance. It was housed in a medium-sized brick building that had all of its windows boarded up. It matched the surrounding dilapidated neighborhood, which appeared to be a center of nightlife in its heyday. Broken neon signs with bar names and empty outdoor restaurant sitting areas lined the deserted street, not a soul nor man nor beast lingered by them.

Ten clicks, just ten clicks stood between him and freedom. It would have been easy to tell them all that he had enough when he finally set foot outside of the perimeter, then walk off into the sunset without a care in the world. The funny thing was, it wasn't the kind of freedom he wanted. Not anymore. Max had shown him that.

A smirk pulled at his lips when he remembered Max had once asked him if he thought Manticore took care of him out of the goodness of its heart. She told him that it was just using him. He hadn't quite understood the difference until now. Looking at the sealed metal door to the tunnel, he grabbed the handle and pulled it. With a screech and shudder, the door didn't give much of a fight as it opened up into a black abyss.

So what if it was going to be a long night? It was his.

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A/N: It's February 2009. A little astounding, isn't it?


	2. Chapter 2: Timing is Everything

**Chapter 2: **_**Timing is Everything**_

_May 2021_

The drive out of Seattle had been surprisingly quiet, not in a serene way, but one of restless awkwardness. The city lockdown had finally been lifted and things were still tense. No one could go back to the ignorance of transgenics, but they had interrupted their lives enough over it. Slowly, there was an uneasy crawl back into daily activity from the days before they knew, but now with more suspicion in their steps than they ever thought possible even in these times. For those who knew better, there was always calm before a storm.

Asha hadn't said much since they cleared the checkpoint that afternoon. She and Logan were posing as a couple going on a weekend retreat to his family's cabin. Her presence was used to explain away the extra bags in the backseat which actually contained supplies for Terminal City. They were doing a good thing. Then why did they both feel so lousy?

Leaning against the front of Bessie, Logan stared up at the starry night sky and wondered if things would get worse before they got better. Not just for the transgenics, but him and Max. There was so much distance between them now that was more than physical. Lies and fairy tales of happily ever after had been the downfall of his first marriage. He was good at overlooking the chinked armor, crumbling castles and the princesses that didn't want to be saved. There was an old saying about those who failed to learn from the past – that they were doomed to repeat it.

He let out a sigh and shifted his feet anxiously. He had been told he could never walk again, and he had proved them wrong. The past had also taught him that nothing was impossible.

It was a beautiful night – warm, cloudless, and serene. It was exactly the kind of night outdoors Asha imagined sharing with Logan, if she was honest with herself. The circumstances weren't the kind she was hoping for though. He was pining away for another woman and completely oblivious to her standing right there next to him. She stole a glance of him staring off into the distance, beyond the road and the trees, and it almost seemed as if he was looking right at Max.

"When was the last time you spoke to her?" Asha asked quietly.

Her voice was like a splash of cold water, bringing him back into the present time and place. He paused and looked down at his shoes. "Two days ago."

"Must be hard… The whole world threatening to close in on them… I can't imagine how difficult this is for her," Asha told him. "For any of them."

Logan looked up at her. His eyes were still full of longing and a touch of lifelessness. The only time she had seen him like this was when Max had been at Manticore. "No. It's not. You've got to love the irony. Sandeman made them to protect humanity and all people want to do is destroy them."

All Asha could do was nod thoughtfully. It had been a lot to process when Logan told her about Ames White and his breeding cult loonies. Then again, it shouldn't have been that surprising since Asha's life had turned into _The X-Files_ since Max's return.

She had left out the breeding cult aspect when she appealed to the other members of the S1W to help smuggle supplies to the transgenics, to Max and Alec who had saved them from a life of incarceration. The breeding cult was just too much to deal with on top of everything else. Even some days she had a hard time with it. Maybe she would clue them in later if they really needed to know, but for now helping renegade government experiments loose in Seattle was enough. Asking them to save the entire world? She didn't look forward to that conversation. Asha wasn't surprised that none of the developments seemed to bother Logan. It was just another thing that made all other mortal women pale in comparison to Max.

Logan sighed and pulled out the cell phone from his pocket to check the time. "Guess it's taking longer to get here than we thought."

"How long do you think this'll go on?" inquired Asha, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She wanted to reach out and tell him that sometimes taking up a cause greater than oneself meant giving up everything. But she had a feeling that he already knew that.

He didn't look at her. He turned his gaze toward the half-built concrete structure that was supposed to be a train station someday before it had become too costly and fallen to the wayside of memory. Suddenly, the steel door gave a shudder that Logan almost missed due to the old blinking floodlights still attached to the building. Before Logan or Asha could move closer to investigate, a loud sound erupted and the door flew open to reveal Luke covering his ears and Alec snatching a handgun from another tall X5 male with shaggy brown hair and a big blue-green eyes.

"What the hell was that?" demanded Alec, smacking the other man across the back of the head. "Why not send up a flare to the state troopers while you're at it?"

The other X5 gave him a sideways glance. "You're only pissed because you didn't get to do it."

Alec shrugged, and then turned his attention to Logan and Asha. "Fine evening for indoor fire practice?"

"Hey Logan!" said Luke with a warm smile and a small hand wave. He didn't move closer to Asha, whose eyes had revealed her surprise at his appearance before pushing the thought aside.

She could tell he had seen her shock, but she gave him a reassuring smile as she approached him and offered her hand to shake. "Hi, I'm Asha. You must be Luke. Logan's told me so much about you."

Not to be ignored, the handsome X5 stepped between them and took Asha's hand before Luke could, then planted a kiss on it. "I'm Nico. And I must say that none of Alec's stories do justice to you. He neglected to mention that you were a unique creature unlike any other."

Asha and the others rolled their eyes. She pulled her hand back quickly. "You know that Alec already used that line on half the women in Seattle?"

"Tough crowd," Nico muttered and stepped away from her.

"How was the tunnel?" Logan asked, hoping to get back to business.

Alec shrugged. "Dark, dank, rat-infested… It was like we didn't even leave Terminal City."

"We'll have to set up some lights to show the way, but it's good to go," Luke added. "We got turned around a few times."

"Hey, those were strategic detours," Alec said defensively.

Nico laughed. "Whatever you say, Marco Polo."

"Anyway, do you have those supplies, or will I have to jack a convenience store?" Alec quipped as he playfully showed off the gun in his hand, but no one found it amusing.

"They're in the car, sorry to spoil your fun," Logan told him, opening the car door and trunk.

"Thanks," Alec said, putting the gun in a box and then taking it out of the trunk. "We owe you big time."

Logan shrugged and smiled. "Think nothing of it. It's nice to know we're making the world a better place, one box of band-aids at a time."

"How's it looking out there for us? White's been too quiet, and there haven't been as many people on TV praying for god to wipe us off the planet," Alec said.

"The media is trying to downplay it, but word has gotten out about the regenerative abilities of transgenic blood. If you thought it was bad when you were abominations, wait until you're the walking messiahs," Logan told him.

Alec grimaced. "Great, then we'll be even more screwed. So, this is going to get worse before it gets better?"

"Sounds about right," Luke chimed in.

"Anything else?" asked Alec.

Logan almost lost his nerve, but drew in a deep breath. "Yeah. Tell Max that I can come by next Saturday for dinner."

Alec gave him a small nod. "I'll let Josh know to set another place."

"You know Asha, I have this great soup recipe—" Nico began.

"It's hot water and Top Ramen, but he puts an extra bouillon cube that makes it taste sort of like there might be chicken in it," Luke informed her.

Asha laughed while Nico shot a dirty look at the transhuman.

_I'm starting to think that I should've brought Dalton along… He's probably got better skills with the ladies_, Alec thought ruefully and grinned. Then he looked at Asha and Logan, and could tell this wasn't exactly a picnic for them either. They could have just walked away, but they didn't. "Well, we better get going. We won't forget this… Transgenic memory and all that."

"Hey, what are friends for if not to help you undermine the federal government _and_ provide you with free Doritos while doing it?" Logan asked.

The transgenics' faces lit up with delight at the thought of more junk food. Asha couldn't help smiling too, and wondered how anyone could truly hate them for merely existing. Was that how White and his breeding cult felt about humans? Irony always did run deep in the world.

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Where is she?_

Ames White sat anxiously in his car. He hated waiting. Patience was hardly a virtue he bragged about.

He looked at his cell phone for what must have been the hundredth time that night. No calls. They were going to make him sweat it out.

The failure of the Phalanx was the last straw with the Conclave, even though that wasn't his fault. He had told them not to underestimate her. The entire thing had been disgraceful, especially after almost having been killed by some creature his father had cooked up in a Petri dish. Over two millennia of selective breeding had been bested by less than half a century's worth of gene splicing. Technically, Sandeman was a mad genius thanks to his Familiar breeding, and as the creator of the transgenics it just proved that selective breeding was the true winner in the end. Somehow Ames had a feeling that the Conclave wouldn't see it that way.

They hadn't contacted Ames after collecting the Phalanx. It had been both a blessing and a curse. He had only been berated by those inferior human government fat cats for mishandling the situation, but in the end they let him keep his job since no one else seemed keen on taking it. That didn't really matter as much as it should have to him though.

Waiting to hear from the Conclave had been the excruciating part. He had failed them. He had failed to clean up his father's mistakes. What would they do with him?

Then that morning he received a phone call from Helen, who instructed him to meet her at Pier 17. He had met her many times before, so she could tell him the Conclave's will. She had also been his teacher at the academy in his younger days, if he was going to be sentimental about it. This wasn't like being called into the principal's office to hear that his father had broken tradition, broken the laws of their people and become a traitor to their cause by working to create a way to survive the test without merit. This was about him. Helen would let him know if the Conclave would be replacing him or even worse, casting him off and issuing a warrant for his death like they did to his father. Damn 452 for ruining everything yet again.

A pair of headlights cut through his thoughts. He quietly watched the car park alongside his own, and when the engine was cut off he exited his vehicle. Helen emerged from the driver's seat. She had come alone.

Though it was late spring, there was a chilly breeze rolling in with the tide at night.

"Fe'nos tol," Ames said as confidently as he could, masking his unease with a sober expression.

"Fe'nos tol," she replied in a toneless voice. "Brother White, I think it goes unsaid that the Conclave is not pleased with the current situation."

White's face remained expressionless. "Understood."

"However, the Conclave believes that the situation can be worked to our advantage. As long as she's stuck in that rat hole, she's useless to the humans. You will keep your current position. Since the situation requires more observation, it isn't wise to start moving too many pieces around. We are so close to the commencement the Coming, nothing will stop it. Once all the humans are gone, we can take care of the transgenics personally," Helen explained.

"Got to love the irony," White said with an evil smile. "Sandeman created the transgenics to protect mankind and all they want to do is kill the freaks. If we weren't worried about exposure, we could have gotten rid of them ourselves."

Helen didn't react. "The Conclave is only letting you retain your position because the time is drawing near. However, you will be working with Thula and the Phalanx to contain the transgenic threat. Brother McKinley has been put in charge of this situation, but if things go awry—"

"I understand," Ames said roughly.

She simply nodded. "The Conclave will not tolerate another failure. It's starting to look suspicious. First, you did not wish to kill your wife after your son was born. Next, you lost your son to 452. Then there were your successive failures at keeping her in your custody… Your family's history isn't working in your favor either."

White sneered. "Are you questioning my loyalty?"

"I'm not, but others are. Some are saying that perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree," Helen replied. "I suggest you follow orders carefully unless you want to end up sharing a cell with CJ. The Conclave will keep in touch."

Ames White stood there silently and watched her get back into her car. As she drove off into the night, he felt the frustration swell inside of him. Once she was out of sight, he turned to his car, ready to explode with anger.

How dare they question him? How dare they compare him to that old fool and accuse him of working with Sandeman? The memory of Ray also tore at him. Family had been his ultimate downfall.

His fury built to a point that it had to be release before he exploded. He needed to lash out at something. Suddenly, he felt his foot colliding with his car, that stupid government issued nitwit mobile. He kicked it again. And again.

Physical pain was an illusion of the mind. Emotional pain? It was haunting, lingering, resounding. It was the mind crying out in pain. Suddenly, Ames White knew exactly how to he would make 452 suffer for what she had done. All he had to do was bide his time.

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A/N: I didn't mean to take so long to post this chapter. Real life has been lame and busy, a lethal combination. Hopefully, things will get better and I'll have some more time to write. I also revised Chapter 1 a little bit right after the original post, so you can check that out.


	3. Chapter 3: Still Standing

**Chapter 3: **_**Still Standing**_

_June 2021_

There was a tense, hushed pause as all of Command awaited Max's response. Behind the cold, decisive demeanor she kept for negotiations, she was being torn apart for an answer.

When the weekly webcam session with the City Council commenced for the fifth time since they made Terminal City theirs, Max had been prepared to respond to their usual demand that she and the others to come out with their hands up to be loaded into a government issued truck and swept under the rug of history.

This time it was different. The person on the screen wasn't Mayor Brooks or one of the usual city council members. It was the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Jacob Martin Wade was a middle-aged man with a stern face and well-fitting suit who could have passed for any other politician in America. To the transgenics, he was one of the characters in their childhood nightmares. During his younger years, he had been a liaison between the CIA and Manticore, selecting which soldiers would be sent into the field for covert missions. With his supervisors hovering behind him, he would go from cell to cell, barrack to barrack with his clipboard and cheap pen, making notes and snide comments. Over the years, he had moved up the ranks and it was clear that though he still resented Project Manticore, but he knew exactly what the transgenics were worth. And just how much damage they were capable of.

"Do you accept our offer or not?" asked Wade impatiently.

"Let me get this straight, you're going to send in a glorified baby-sitter to make sure we behave?" Max replied.

The expression on Wade's face indicated that he didn't like his offer to be mocked. "Since you are a bunch of misguided children, I guess a military negotiator would seem like a baby-sitter. You are to stay within the confines of Terminal City unless otherwise directed by myself or the negotiator assigned to you. That is a direct order. Any transgenic found outside of Terminal City will be exterminated on sight. Do I make myself clear?"

Max gave him a measured look, assessing every word he said. "You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you?"

Unfortunately, this was the best offer they had received thus far that didn't involve the words 'Come out with your hands up…' Max hated the idea of letting in some government suit watching their every move. Wade was offering a Trojan horse and they both knew it.

"I take that as a yes?" Wade inquired with his face as stiff as his suit.

"Apparently," Max answered dryly.

"All right then, we'll be sending our man in tomorrow at 0900 hours," Wade informed her.

"What about food? We're running low on food supplies and baby formula with the lockdown in place," Max said, trying to milk this opportunity for all that it was worth.

It looked like the word 'no' had formed on his lips, but someone off camera seemed to command him to answer otherwise. "Fine, we'll give you what we have available. But we don't anticipate this being a long term set-up."

"Funny, neither do we," Max said, ending the transmission. She turned back to face the residents of Terminal City, who would not be please with her decision to let a spy into their midst.

"Government food supplies? They're really trying to make us feel right at home," Luke said in a mocking tone, adjusting his headset.

Mole pushed the other transgenic aside and pulled the cigar from his mouth so Max could hear him loud and clear. "Are you outta your mind? Letting the enemy in through the gates is the oldest trick in the book!"

"Calm down," Joshua said, stepping between Mole and Max, and then he placed a reassuring hand on Mole's shoulder. "Trust Max. She's gotten us this far."

Taking a step back, Mole removed himself from Joshua's grasp.

Max looked around at the crowd in Command and drew a deep breath. She could see the doubt in their eyes, sense their fear and taste their desperation. Usually, Alec would take a moment like this to make a sarcastic remark and cut the tension in the air. But he was still sleeping off last night's adventure outside when Max had left the apartment.

"We know he's a spy. They know we know he's a spy. But we're going to play along. We can't keep living like this," Max told them. "We need to show people that we're not the monsters they think we are."

"Easy for you to say," huffed a transhuman with too much cat in her cocktail. "You X-series look just like them. You're all very appealing by their standards. What about the rest of us who don't have that luxury?"

"This is not the time to start thinking like that," Max spat. "We're all in this together. The minute we split up they'll pick us off like sewer rats. Now we're going to prepare for this guy… They can't find out how big our arsenal is or about the supply line. We'll need to keep a constant eye on this loser. And nothing, I mean nothing, is allowed to happen to him. If he so much as sneezes, I need to know. Are we clear?"

A wave of skeptical nods followed.

"Sure, just one question," Luke said. "Does his place have to have electricity _and_ running water?"

She thought for a moment. "Set him up at 63 Oak Street. It has water but no electricity. We don't want him thinking it's the Ritz Carlton or something."

"Gotchya," Luke said and did a small salute before scurrying off to set up lodgings for their human guest.

The rest of Command resumed its normal hustle and bustle when Max made it clear that there was no discussing it. As Max observed the reluctant crowd, wondering if she had made the right decision about asking them to stay, she caught a glimpse of disheveled blond hair. It was strange how she could pick him out of a crowd so easily these days. He could tell from the look on her face that she was laughing at his hair, so he ran a hand through it as she made her way towards him.

"Decided to grace us with your presence, Sleeping Beauty?" Max quipped.

Alec yawned sleepily, causing Max to cringe at his mid-afternoon morning breath. She didn't hesitate to smack him across the back of the head for opening his mouth.

"Gross!"

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "This is the last time I cut into my midday nap for you."

"What're you doing here lookin' like something the cat dragged outta bed?"

He waved his cell phone in front of her. "Someone sent me a text message saying that we're having guests. Okay, it was at least fifteen someones and I couldn't find the phone to shut it off, then when I did find it, I was already awake. So I wanted to see if it was true."

Max rolled her eyes at his explanation.

"So it's true?" Alec asked coolly.

She sighed. "The Secretary of Defense requested we take in a negotiator as a sign of good faith."

"Max also talked him into giving us government food rations," Joshua chimed in enthusiastically.

"Great, I haven't had any of that wet-sock flavored cheese and stale crackers in so long," Alec replied in a biting tone. "But do you really think it's a good idea letting some suit come in and spy on us?"

"Well, it's not like there were a whole lot of options, so I just went with Door #2," Max told him.

"What happens if behind Door #2 is White?" Alec demanded. "Last time I checked, he was the Special Agent assigned to our case."

"We'll deal with it," Max groused, mentally kicking herself for not contemplating this possibility.

Before Alec could get another word in, the computer began beeping. Someone was trying to start a connection. There was only one person who made incoming web sessions. The trio went over to the computer monitor and started broadcasting.

"Hi Logan," Joshua said as he adjusted the camera. Alec stepped out of the way so he wouldn't appear on the screen.

"Hi Josh," Logan replied happily. His gaze turned to Max. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself," Max replied.

"I hear you're having company over. Should I be jealous?" Logan asked, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

"No more damn dirty apes," Mole shouted from the lower level.

Max ignored the lizard man. "News travels fast."

"Any idea who this guy is?"

"Probably some overpaid hostage negotiator or another," Max shrugged. "Alec thinks it could be White."

"White doesn't strike me as the type to throw himself into the lion's den… but you never know," Logan said cautiously. "It could also be another Familiar, so you'll have to keep your guard up."

Max nodded and stole a glance at Alec's stony expression.

"So I guess this means Saturday night dinner is off then?" Logan went on, trying to hide his disappointment.

"I suppose it'll have to wait," Max said, doing little to hide her displeasure about the situation.

"One of these days…" Logan's voice trailed off, when he realized he didn't know how he wanted to complete the sentence. One of these days they would what? Eat dinner together? Have a non-work related conversation? Find a cure for the virus? He couldn't find the right words. "Well, I'm sure you've got to get the place ready. Take care of yourself."

"I will," Max promised solemnly and ended the transmission.

She was left with a vague feeling of incompleteness as she walked back to her office. Ever since Logan found out that she and Alec weren't an item, things between them seemed more strained than before. Max and Logan hadn't really talked about it or what it meant that she had lied to him. He just held her hand on the roof that morning, which felt like enough at the time but now became an empty attempt at reconciliation. Now was hardly the time to be focusing on her messed up love life on top of everything that was going on, but her mind couldn't help straying down that dark and winding road for just a moment.

"Max, you can't really think that taking this guy in will improve anything?" Alec's voice cut through her thoughts.

She hadn't noticed that he followed her into the office and had shut the door behind them.

"And what do you suggest? Sitting on our hands waiting for the other shoe to drop? The Familiars are out there and they're not going to strike at us with the world watching."

"You know they'll never accept us. They won't just let us have Terminal City and live out the rest of our days as if we weren't made in a lab."

"No, not everyone. But if we let that stop us—"

"We're just buying time." Why couldn't she see that letting an enemy in their midst would only create a disaster?

"We're holding our ground!"

Alec didn't reply. He just stared intently at her, as if sizing her up in his mind.

Max shifted her weight just in case it really did come to blows between them. She was just itching for a fight now. He could tell. That was why he turned and walked away from her.

They had fought hundreds of times before. They would both say things that they would go about pretending they didn't say later, get the job done and call it a new day. But this time was different. His silence cut her deeper than anything he had ever said to her face.

The door slammed behind him and Max was left standing alone in her office, unsure of what had just happened.

* * *

A/N: I know it took a while for this chapter to get posted, longer than I had expected. I didn't like how this chapter originally played out and I had to keep revising it. This version satisfies me more than the previous one, so we'll go with it.

By the way, thanks for all the nice reviews!


	4. Chapter 4: Devil's Advocate

**Chapter 4: **_**Devil's Advocate**_

_June 2021_

"I don't like this," Nico said bluntly.

Alec nodded with his eyes set on his coffee cup. He looked up at Nico and Dalton who were standing beside him in the Command Center that morning.

"Yeah, but it's not like we've got a bunch of options," Alec replied.

He glanced over to Max and Joshua having a conversation with Mole that under no circumstances were they to greet their guest with "friendly fire."

"I don't trust this bozo that's coming in. I think he's going to sell us out and we'll be in Manticore Redux before the week is over," Nico went on. "I'd rather die than go back there."

"We're not going back there," Alec told him.

Nico was particularly paranoid about being sent back in a cage since he had been rescued from White, and Alec knew from experience that the X5 reacted badly when he felt cornered.

After trying to exterminate them like vermin, the government was extending an olive branch? Something didn't feel right about it. Years in Manticore taught Alec to be skeptical about anything and everything involving the feds and their motives. He was also worried about the motives of the other transgenics. Would they use this as a chance to avenge their years of torture? There were a lot of transgenics carrying around bottled up hostility after their loyal comrades were killed in the name of confidentiality, some of whom wouldn't hesitate to maim and murder with their newfound freedom.

There was a ticking time-bomb on its way to Terminal City.

Did Max really know what she was doing?

"Max nervous?" Joshua asked as Mole skulked off to count the stuff in the armory.

"A little bit," Max said quietly.

He smiled and threw this arm around her. "It's okay. We got your back."

"Thanks," Max said and smiled back at him. She could do this.

Then she glanced down at her watch to check the time. Her face hardened and she stood a little straighter.

"Listen up people, T-minus twenty minute til show time," Max announced. "Everyone to their posts!"

"I can't believe we're going along with this," Nico muttered and swallowed the rest of his tea. "That bitch—"

Before he could get another word out, Alec grabbed him by the collar and pulled the other X5's face close to his. Alec could smell the peppermint tea on his breath. "Let's get a couple of things straight, Nico. 1) I'm the only person allowed to call Max a bitch. 2) We're all a little tense right now, but pull it together… 3) Get your own damn pick-up lines, I overheard you with that X6 Ella last night."

Nico sneered and pushed Alec back. If Alec wanted a fight, he was going to get it.

Dalton quickly stepped between them. "Now's not the time."

Alec gave Nico a look that said that they would finish this later. Nico needed to remember his place before he ran out and did something stupid.

"You coming?" asked Max as she walked by them to the exit.

"Roll over and play fetch too?" Nico mocked him.

"Careful, my bite is just as bad as my bark," Alec warned him coolly as he followed Max.

Dalton wanted to be at the gates with Max and Alec, but he was guarding the supply building with Nico. It was moments like these that Dalton admired Alec who was on the frontlines, instead of guarding beer and baby formula.

"Hey rugrat," Nico said, waving a hand in front of Dalton's face. "We have to get to our post."

Dalton scowled. "Don't call me that. At least I don't have to resort to hitting on an X-series lower than me."

"As sure as I am that you've probably never even been with a woman and shouldn't be one to talk, get your ass in gear," Nico said, pushing him out the door. Then he mumbled, "X6s. Can't take orders for shit, but you can't have a military coup without 'em."

"That's what I say about all you Xs," Mole said as he locked and loaded his favorite shotgun.

* * *

Max drew a deep breath as she stepped out of the building and strode toward the perimeter fence. It was another cloudy day in Seattle with the potential for rain at any given moment.

She could hear angry protesters shouting 'Not with my tax dollars!' and 'Die freaks!' and 'Will no one think of the children?' while she was still behind the door. Beside them, Max saw the militia, sector cops and TV news crews bristle when they caught sight of her. She forgot the nervous gnawing in her stomach and was now amused by how uneasy she made them. It almost made her want to smile. Almost.

Alec was standing right behind her, quietly observing everything. He was ready to give the signal to the hidden snipers if anything seemed off. His casual stride hid his true thoughts.

"Make way! Make way!" Clemente's voice cried through the chaos.

The crowd began to part as two heavily armored soldiers with large machine guns pushed their way through. The two men stood side by side with the most determined expressions on their faces. Max could feel Alec grinning behind her. He was probably imagining how easily either one of them could have taken these tools down.

Finally, the soldiers came to a stop in front of the fence.

Alec unlocked the giant padlock and removed the chains. Cameras feverishly flashed at the sight, while the protesters had stopped their chanting. Everyone was watching.

"Hello boys," Max greeted them with a mischievous smile. "Which one of you will be needing the grand tour?"

Neither of them said a word. They took two large steps to the side away from each other that left an opening in the middle for the negotiator.

Max blinked twice to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. The quick flash of Alec's surprised expression verified that she wasn't seeing things.

"Nice to see you're still breaking every rule I ever taught you about war," said Colonel Donald Lydecker, giving his former recruits a disapproving look.

Max eyed him warily. "Some things don't change. You still know when to show up at the worst possible moment to mess up my day… or in this case, my hostile takeover of a Seattle sector. Congratulations on not being dead. I guess."

* * *

A/N: I should have made it clearer in the last chapter why Alec was being short with Max. He's taken it upon himself to keep people in line about Max's decision. The next chapter is going to be longer.


	5. Chapter 5: Damage Control

**Chapter 5: **_**Damage Control**_

_June 2021_

Alec uneasily accepted the trolley loaded with food supplies with his eyes never leaving Lydecker for longer than a minute. "I should've known you couldn't stay dead for long. Now I owe a guy two hundred bucks."

"Still the smart ass 494?" Lydecker said in an unimpressed tone. "Maybe if you were actually smart, I wouldn't be here cleaning up your mess."

"That's enough," Max snapped, casting a glance over at the crowd that was still watching them. She was in no mood to drag this conversation outside. "Let's just get moving."

They didn't utter another word as they walked toward one of the large apartment buildings where Mole was waiting for them. Max didn't turn back to face Lydecker, her stride set on her destination and her mind trying to decipher his reasons for returning. The man had been gone for eight months after his car had been found underwater, and she and Logan had figured that he had gotten too close to something big. The fact that his body hadn't been recovered only made Max suspect he had to be anything but dead and would probably return at the most inconvenient moment. Like now.

"Alec, take Lydecker and the supplies to Mole for inspection. When you're done, meet me in Command," Max instructed him.

"Ever notice how I'm the one who does all your dirty work these days?" Alec asked.

"Ever notice how your head is still in one piece?" Max shot back.

Alec nodded. "Eventually, the statute of limitations on that will run out." Then he turned to Lydecker and said, "Come on Chuckles, I've got a friend I want you to meet. His name is Mole…"

* * *

Max headed straight to Command where the others would be demanding answers that she didn't quite have about their new visitor. She did have a sinking feeling that Lydecker's presence would not be welcomed. He knew the transgenics better than the people who spliced them together. He was the boogeyman who locked them in tanks of water to drown and gave orders to kill or be killed. Even though the smallest X8 could kill him without breaking a sweat, there was still a primal fear of him that they couldn't quite extinguish – he was capable of anything, including coming back from the dead. It was Max's worst nightmare come true.

That was who Max had let into their safe haven.

"Max, Logan's on the video line!" shouted Luke when she walked into Command.

Max silently walked over to the computer, noting the lower voices and shifting eyes in the room. They knew what the orders were and nothing, not even Lydecker was going to change protocol.

"Max!" Logan greeted her in an uncomfortable voice. "Was that Lydecker I just saw on TV?"

"Yeah, there's no mistaking that mug," Max replied.

"So where's he been this whole time?" Logan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know. He just got here and I haven't had the time to make him coffee and catch up on old times," answered Max. She wasn't quite in the mood for more questions that she didn't have answers to.

"Seems too suspicious. He's been missing for months and chooses now to show up?"

"It's Lydecker. He probably thinks this reflects badly on his training or something… Anyway, he's on our turf now," Max replied.

"You have to find out what angle he's playing before it's too late—"

Max inwardly groaned. Why did he seem to forget that she was the one who spent a lifetime running from Lydecker? She had enough on her plate without being told what to do. "Logan, let me figure it out, okay? I'm a big girl."

"I know. But I still worry," Logan replied, then smiled meekly. "And I still owe you dinner once this is all over."

"It's a date," she nodded, wondering when it would happen.

"Hey Max," Alec said as he entered Command. "Mole says he's done and he wants the rest of the day off so he can shed his skin."

Max turned back to Logan. "Listen, I gotta take care of this."

He nodded. "I get it. Go save the world."

The screen went blank and Max walked down the steps to where Alec was standing. They were still on civil terms after their quarrel and would probably take another few days before they returned to that almost friendly disposition they had for one another.

"Let's go collect Lydecker before someone tries to violate him further…" Alec said. "But I'd be willing to wait a few minutes."

"I'm going to need to find a baby-sitter for Lydecker… This certainly ruins my fun," Max said.

"You know you're Commander, right? Just delegate to someone and get it over with," Alec said. "Don't even look at me, I've got my hands full as it is… And I might look the other way when he gets the shit beat out of him."

Looking around the room, it didn't take much thought for her to choose the best person for the job. She needed someone she trusted, and that was a very short list of people.

"Joshua," she called to the transgenic who was across the room with two other transhumans drinking coffee.

The dogman's ears perked up at Max's voice and he quickly made his way over to where his friends were standing.

"What's up, Lil Fella?" Joshua asked as he ran a comforting hand through her hair.

"I need a favor," Max said.

"You need Joshua to keep Lydecker safe from people who are still afraid of Manticore," he said knowingly and smiled down at her.

"Thanks," she replied gratefully. "Let's go meet your new roommate."

"Wait, does that mean you and me," Alec said and gestured his hand between himself and Max, "are going to be alone in the apartment together?" A wicked grin crossed his face. "You really went to a lot of trouble to get me alone. I'm flattered but all you had to do was ask."

Max made a disgusted face and swatted him in the shoulder. "Not even if we were the last two people on earth."

* * *

"Took you long enough. He, the cheese and the crackers are clean," Mole said, taking the cigar from his mouth to report his findings then placing it back when he was done speaking. "After what I just saw, I need to make someone cry. Excuse me."

He walked out of the check-in station that new transgenics went through once they got into Terminal City to make sure they weren't carrying wires for the enemy or looking to cause trouble. It was a large room that served as some dentist's office before the Pulse, all the creepy dentist chairs included. Lydecker gave a hard stare as Mole left the vicinity then turned to Max, Joshua and Alec.

"Now that you and Mole are intimately acquainted, I'd like to introduce you to Joshua," Max informed him, gesturing at her tall friend.

Joshua bravely extended his hand for Lydecker to shake. The former colonel gazed at the transhuman, assessing him thoroughly before accepting his hand.

"Josh, as you already know, this is Donald Lydecker," Max went on, and then looked at Lydecker. "You two will be spending a lot of time together."

"My handler, I presume?" Lydecker asked.

Alec smirked. "I see that age hasn't rendered you completely useless."

"And I can see that time has still rendered you more just as imbecilic as ever," Lydecker countered, glaring at the soldier once under his command.

"Hate to interrupt your pissing contest, but we've got a few questions for our former colonel," Max rolled her eyes.

"Glad to see one of you is thinking," Lydecker scoffed.

"Let's start with where the hell you've been all this time?" Max demanded bluntly as Alec shut the door behind them. She wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. "You fake your own death while hunting some lead on Renfro, now you're back as some government lackey?"

"I was following a lead on Renfro, as you so brilliantly pointed out. It seems she was involved with a larger organization that wanted me out of the way, and I decided to keep my head low until I knew what I was dealing with," he answered casually.

Max had almost forgotten that Lydecker could be more slippery than a transhuman with too much salamander DNA. She also knew this was as close to being a good answer as she was going to get out of him. She exchanged a look with Alec who was obviously thinking the same thing. They could probably strap him to that dentist chair and use every one of the tools attached and he wouldn't let out a word more than what he'd told them. His arsenal from their childhood had been far worse and they hadn't broken under interrogation. If they had, they wouldn't be alive to see the day Manticore burned to the ground.

For a moment, Max could easily see how dangerous having Lydecker in Terminal City was. She almost wondered if Lydecker had been put up to this so they would kill him, then the public would have its justification for slaughtering them all.

"Why come back now?" Max asked, not one to mince words.

"I honestly didn't think you kids would be dumb enough to let yourselves get caught with an entire news crew watching," he shot back pointedly.

"What do you care? Not like anyone flashed your face on TV screens across America blaming you for this mess—oh wait, you took care of that yourself," Max went on in a sarcastic tone, taking a step closer to Lydecker.

"Years of research, development and training some of the best soldiers in history was about to go down the drain so some corn husker in Iowa wouldn't have to lock the barn up at night. I couldn't just stand by and watch," he told her unwaveringly. "The Committee wasn't too pleased when I showed up, but I'm the last person left from the project that could rein you kids in. They decided to cut their losses by sending me in. Maybe I could get you to work for us again…"

Max narrowed her eyes. "Of course, you're still trying to be big dog at Manticore no matter what's going down. We aren't going to line up in the yard anymore. Never again. So, I suggest you take a minute and rethink your decision to stroll in here like nothing's changed. In the meantime, an apartment has been prepared for you and Josh to share. We don't think it's safe to leave you on your own."

"My safety matters? I would say I'm touched but I don't see us being here too long," Lydecker said.

"We'll see," Max replied. "So while you were in hiding, did you find anything else about Renfro?"

All eyes were fixed on the former colonel. His answer would dictate how much they could trust him about the Familiar situation, or at least how to spring it on him. Bastard or not, the fate of the human race did have to matter to him on some level.

"Nothing more than I knew before. Did you find anything?" Lydecker responded, knowing the question was a loaded one.

He was unreadable. Of course he was, he was the one who had trained them that the mind could conceive, the body could achieve. This was going to be trickier than she thought.

"We stumbled onto something, but not sure how it connects to Renfro," Max replied, baiting him.

Lydecker simply nodded. "Well, it looks like we have our work cut out for us."

Max returned the gesture. "Why don't you get settled in and we'll take things from there?"

"I will," Lydecker replied.

Max put a hand on Joshua's shoulder and said, "Thanks. Call me when you guys are done."

Joshua smiled down at her. "Sure thing, Lil Fella."

She turned on her heel and started to walk off, leaving Lydecker to stew over his new intel and decide what cards to play. "Come on, Alec."

"But Max, Josh and I were just discussing whether or not to have Lydecker join out poker night," Alec bantered to get under her skin.

"Alec," Max gritted out as she was walked out the door.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "All right, see ya buddy," he said, giving the transhuman a pat on the shoulder. Then in a carefree yet callous tone aimed at his former commander, "See you in hell."

* * *

Max was busy for the rest of the day, barely saying more than a sentence to anyone unless she was giving instructions. She didn't want to hear that Lydecker was playing all of them to regain his former glory. She was the one who spent her life running from him, she knew that he had something bigger up his sleeve. That was why he had started this Manticore business to distract her. And there wasn't a thing she could do at the moment to bend him to her will.

Nico had left his guard post and returned as a mangled mess from what Mole told Max that afternoon before dinner. Nico had been infuriated by the news of Lydecker's arrival and asylum, so much so that he left his post to let Alec know it. Max hadn't been there, but she heard that the two X5s had brawled it out on Oak Street. The fight would have been nastier if Dalton hadn't called Gem, who took it upon herself to break them apart. The last thing Max needed was fighting among them. She and Alec were still not on anything more than civil terms, so she didn't feel the need to hunt him down and see if he was all right. He could take of himself.

At dinnertime, Max was a little surprised that Alec was nowhere to be found in the mess hall during food distribution. The transgenics would pay a small fee for what Joshua cooked in the former elementary school kitchen or purchase some of the food stuffs smuggled in. The money was necessary to help buy more food and supplies from outside and prevented people from taking and wasting any supplies they did have. It had been Alec's brainchild and he was usually the one to keep track of the money and supply detail, but this night the task of collecting had been given to Dalton.

"Hey kiddo, doesn't Alec usually handle this?" Max asked. She took a seat beside him at the table in front of the cafeteria doors where he was collecting money and handing out dinner tickets.

The boy's face flushed a little red as he counted the bills that a rat-like transhuman had given him. Suddenly, he jumped out of his seat.

"Yo, Stewart! You owe me a buck next time!" Dalton called as the rat-boy walked away from the table. The transhuman made some squeaking noises, to which Dalton responded, "Yeah, well they probably got your donor DNA from something crawling around a dumpster!"

Max shook her head. The kid was definitely hanging around Alec too much.

"Sorry Max," said Dalton as he sat back down. "He didn't tell me where he went." The X6 was careful to look her in the eyes as he continued. "I don't think he wants anyone to see the shiner Nico gave him. I still say Nico would've gotten his ass kicked if Gem hadn't gotten in the middle. He deserved it."

"I thought you were assigned to do apartment visits to the X5 mothers to see what they needed?" Max asked.

Dalton swallowed uneasily under her gaze. "Yeah, well… I was…"

"Don't let it happen again, okay?" she said in a gentler tone. She didn't want to punish the kid for catching him slacking off, but this wasn't the time for being a kid. "So what actually started the fight?"

"Nico started yelling how you gathered us all up like eggs in a basket for Lydecker. Alec told him that he was out of line… Then Nico said some other stuff and Alec slugged him," Dalton told her as he collected money from two more transgenics, a pale blood reservoir like Marrow and a bald man-like creature with white eyes.

"What 'other stuff' did Nico say that got Alec pissed?" Max inquired. Alec wasn't the type to lose his temper and she was curious what could have pushed him over the edge.

Dalton kept his eyes on the cash he was counting. He looked around to see no one else waiting to come in. "Nico called you… Lydecker's bitch. Alec told him not to talk like that just because he was scared… So Nico called him your bitch and Alec hit him…"

Suddenly, Alec punching Nico only seemed natural. There were few things Alec despised more than being called someone else's pawn.

"I think I know where he went," Max said. She got out of her seat and smiled at Dalton. "And after this, go find some Xs your own age and get into some mischief, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied, covering over his disappointment that she hadn't stayed with him.

* * *

"You know, if I knew I'd be having company over I would've cleaned up the place," Alec said with his back to her as she walked into Sandeman's old lab.

He didn't even need to turn around to see that it was her. Sitting at one of the desks by the windows, he had laid out his rations but hadn't found much of an appetite. One window was opened enough to let in a cool summer breeze, so it wasn't the smell of the place that ruined his appetite. He was toying with the wrapper of a Hostess cake when Max grabbed a stool and took a seat next to him.

"It's not that bad. I've seen worse… So, I heard you got into a fight…"

Alec turned to face her and that was when she saw the damage. He had a black left eye and his bottom lip had a cut on it, yet his soldier's mask remained firmly in place. "Just a forgot what it's like to tangle with some other Xs and not humans, that's all."

Max scowled. "I can't believe you hit him."

"It was insubordination," he shot back.

"This isn't Manticore, Alec!"

"Yeah, for how long, Max?" he demanded, pushing his stool away from her and standing up. "Nico's not the only one thinking these things. There are more people who feel that you're selling us out by letting Lydecker in here. If we split up now, we might as well start calling each other by designations again."

She wasn't going to let him talk like that to her. Replicating his previous motions, she stood toe to toe with him, so close that she could smell the Skittles on his breath. "Is that what you think too? That we'll go back to with Lydecker?"

Alec's hazel green eyes locked onto hers. "I think that's where we'll end up if we fall apart here. And I am not going back to wearing camouflage and having sex or killing people on anyone else's schedule but my own."

"Well, there's something we can both agree on," Max sighed and sat back down on her stool. "Damn it, I just want to know what game he's playing at."

When she had on her 'I'm gonna figure this bitch out' face on, Alec couldn't resist placing an arm around her shoulders. She wouldn't lean into him to accept any real type of comfort, it wasn't the way they worked. Still, it made her feel like she wasn't alone in this madness. He had promised to take care of her after all the times she had saved him.

Logan had told him to be good to her, and the only thing Alec could think was that in spite of the tough girl exterior, she needed someone to have her back. He didn't know what things wee like between Max and Logan before he and the virus came into the picture, but he doubted that Logan could take care of her the way another X5 could.

"You know Deck, it's not going to come out until he wants it to," Alec reminded her. "We'll just have to play it by ear because trying to figure him out will just make us crazy."

"He should've stayed dead," Max grumbled.

"Yeah, but as much as I hate to admit it if he was, then we'd be dead," he pointed out. "After all this is over, he should write about his talent for screwing us over our entire lives: _101 Quagmires to Live, Die and Come Back from the Dead By: The Donald Lydecker Story_."

Max let out a small laugh and pulled away from him. "I know the perfect use for that book—balancing the coffee table back at the apartment."

She gazed out the window at the darkening streets of Terminal City. Some of the streetlights still worked, while random windows were lit at various buildings. There were people in the streets unafraid of who might see them. This was their home.

Her hand reached for a packet of crackers nearby, but before she could grab them, Alec's hand quickly pulled them away.

His smug grin appeared as he said, "Uh uh uh. Bad Max. Stealing my rations for the night?"

"As your Commanding Officer, I order you to give me those crackers," Max replied in a serious tone.

"Who died and made you the boss of me?" Alec demanded, opening the crackers and shoving one into his mouth.

"Renfro. Now hand them over," Max said and stuck her hand out.

He popped another cracker into his out and mumbled something she couldn't quite make out as he handed her the crackers. He swallowed before saying, "Oh, and don't worry, I spat in the macaroni already."

Max cast a disdainful eye at the plastic bowl full of cheesy, noodly goodness. "I don't believe you, but I'd rather not risk catching something."

Picking up the bowl, he shoved a spoonful into his mouth. "I'd be more offended if I wasn't banking on it to save my dinner."

"Jackass."

Looking at his impish grin, she remembered Ben for a moment and when they used to fight over dessert back at Manticore, not the broken Ben she found two years ago. She felt a hole in her heart remembering how he kept her safe by simply being in the bed beside hers. She made a silent vow that no one else would be a victim to Manticore ever again. Not if she could help it.

* * *

A/N: I'm stunned that I've gone so long without updating. I'm so sorry but I changed some things that happened later and then had writer's block. Let's see how long this bout of inspiration lasts.


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